A Question of Love
by Knave Iespyk
Summary: Cobra's plans continue and Zarana must make a hard choice, follows "Mindbender's Schemes"


A Question of Love

  
  


The Terrordrome was practically buzzing with activity. Doctor Mindbender and his assistant of sorts, Airtight, were overseeing the construction of well over three hundred microchips that would allow them to take over Iceland. There was also a central controlling device being built, also supervised by the mad scientist and his associate.

  
  


In another part of the Cobra base, Major Bludd was readying his forces for an attack on the newly discovered Incan ruins. This was all to divert G.I. Joe's attention away from the Iceland expedition. In fact, so far as anyone knew, there was nothing of interest in the ruins that were being nicknamed 'the Ruins of Death.'

  
  


Cobra Commander, Destro and the Baroness were huddled in the centre of the base trying to decide how to divide the newly conquered land. Tomax and Xamot were absent from this meeting, though they demanded that they get a substantial amount of land.

  
  


And finally, in the bowels of the Terrordrome, Zarana was returning to her swamp sled, getting ready to return to the Dreadnok shacks to prepare for her trip. She might have made it there in time for the midnight booze fest with the boys, but for Zartan stepping out from the shadows.

  
  


"Where have you been, Zarana?" he asked, his voice indicating that he knew where she'd been and didn't approve of it.

  
  


"Visiting the bleeding Queen of England, why should you want to know?" she snapped.

  
  


"Easy there, Zarana., we're all family. You've been visiting your boyfriend, Mainframe, haven't you? That Joe we captured a week ago. He's looking a little hurt. How is he?" Zartan said, attempting to keep a note of sarcasm out of his voice, and failing miserably.

  
  


"He's fine, I suppose. Look, we going to be gabbing all day?"

  
  


"No, no. I just wanted to ask a favour of you. Cobra Commander made me look like a fool when he managed to pull the wool over my eyes and recruit Airtight and Cover Girl without my ever knowing. I want you to try and seduce Mainframe into joining the Dreadnoks. Do whatever you have to do, give him the action he so deeply wants, anything."

  
  


"You want me to sleep with him to get him to join Cobra?" Zarana asked, amazed that her brother would even suggest it.

  
  


"Not Cobra. The Dreadnoks. And I'd do it quickly. I hear Cobra Commander's got a nasty surprise in store for the Joes. Something to make them an example to the people of Iceland. In a few days, there won't be enough pieces of Mainframe to make a sandwich. I'd work quickly if I were you, Zarana." Zartan's snickering could be heard for a while after as he melted back in the shadows of the Terrordrome, leaving Zarana with a feeling of dread as she raced away.

  
  


* * *

  
  


The evening passed by uneventfully for Zarana. She made it in time to see the Dreadnoks gathered around the fire, and well into a stack of beer cases, Thrasher was notably absent from the party. She took a case of her own and sat at the farthest edge of the fire, back against a tree trunk, beer in her hand, as she gazed up at the stars and wondered, wondered what she could do to save the man she loved.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Doctor Mindbender smiled broadly as the last of the microchips passed through the assembly line, the machine responsible putting the final touches on it. He scooped it up, the pinnacle of his brilliant career, and marvelled at how the light caught it. Gingerly he placed in a box with its brethren and handed it to an aide. He turned to Airtight, beaming, and said, "Now to let Cobra Commander know that phase one of our mission is complete."

  
  


* * *

  
  


Major Bludd's forces had left a good five hours ago, Firefly thought as he strapped his gear on. That meant another two before he, Storm Shadow, and Airtight left as Team One. Zartan, Zarana and Zandar would comprise Team Two. The two teams would be dropped off at a singular point on Iceland's coast and then split off in opposite directions, depositing their microchips as they went. A third offensive, led by Scrap Iron and his five team mates, would be going to the centre of Iceland to set up the control device. He currently stood on the small 'cruise ship' that would their ticket to the coast.

  
  


With nobody around Firefly reached into his pocket and produced a vial containing a milky substance, his one weakness. A drop on the tongue was all he needed. The fluid was a rare drug, whose name he never bothered learning, found only in certain trees in the South American rain forests. The Baroness knew of these trees and supplied him with a dosage in return for pieces of information. It stilled the nerves, he found. He might be able to survive without it for a day, after that he would begin to shake uncontrollably, resulting eventually in cardiac arrest. The Baroness had quite proudly shown him the effects of withdrawal, thus ensuring his compliance and loyalty.

  
  


Footsteps alerted him to the arrival of Airtight. He didn't bother to acknowledge the newly turned Cobra's presence. He did however note that Storm Shadow was perched on a stack of crates. He wondered idly how long the ninja had been present, and whether he'd seen the vial. No doubt he had, which would make matters more difficult later on. Moments later Zartan, Zandar and Buzzer pulled up to the ship on their swamp sleds. They stowed these inside and reported on deck.

  
  


"Zarana said she had other things to attend to," Zartan explained, "Buzzer has graciously agreed to take her place."

  
  


"In other words, he got the short straw," Zandar said in his quiet voice.

  
  


"Doesn't matter. Let's just get going," Firefly snorted.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Zarana hated herself at the moment. She was acting on the whims of her heart, something she'd never done before. So why now? "Because, you dunderhead, you've never been in love before," she told herself sternly. Which was why she was now, flashlight in hand, heading toward the darkened office of Cobra Commander, darkened by the heavy curtains pulled across the window. Luckily the Commander didn't feel anything more than a lock and key was needed to guard this most important of rooms, and a simple hairpin opened it.

  
  


She found the computer at the back of the room, on top of what was easily the largest desk she'd ever seen. She pulled up the large chair he used to the computer and turned it on. "Curse it, the Commander's got everything bloody protected by passwords," she cursed, a little too loudly.

  
  


"The password's 'pistachio,' Zarana," a timid voice remarked. Zarana's flashlight swung around to illuminate the lithe woman seated in a chair in the corner. It was the Cobra Commander's secretary, Laura. "Zartan paid me a lot of money to make sure you found the files, he said you'd come this morning. The password is 'pistachio' trust me."

  
  


What did she have to lose? A quick perusal through the files finally came up with the one she wanted, a sub-section on the plan to take Iceland, a project called 'Deep Freeze.'

  
  


...in order to prove to the people of Iceland that Cobra means business we will commence with several operations, including... then we will take the captured Joes and cover them in molten gold to serve as permanent monuments as to the fate that awaits those who oppose Cobra... Tomax and Xamot report that there has been some delay of the gold, but assure me that it will arrive within the week, and then it's bye bye Joes...

  
  


Zarana printed off the relevant portion of the file and re-read it to make sure she'd not mis-read. She hadn't, much to her regret. That meant that everything Zartan had said was true. Mainframe was in danger, and soon. Within the week, unless she could convince him to change sides. But she couldn't do that, not to him. She couldn't just use their love to change him. One couldn't do that, could they? Ignoring the confused looks from the secretary, Zarana stumbled out of the room, feeling as though the weight of the world rested on her shoulders.

  
  


* * *

  
  


"Cobra! Attack!" Major Bludd shouted from the top of his H.I.S.S. tank. The resounding reply of "Cobra" made his heart swell. He looked down to where Nightowl was manning the controls and gestured forward at the G. I. Joe vehicles, coming in hard. Briefly he wondered how Cover Girl would do in her first attack on her former team mates. There wasn't time to dwell on these matters, though, and he cleared them from his head, focussing on winning this fight.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Zartan and his mates waved farewell, laughing and singing as they tore off through the fog, distributing microchips at even intervals. Storm Shadow, Firefly and Airtight, in motorboat and in disguise, took a more cautious route around to the south. Scrap Iron watched them all go and then turned to Bone Crusher. "Once the crates are loaded in to the jeep, we'll go. Hauler! Hurry up over there, we're short on time," he said.

  
  


"Yeah, yeah, I know, I know. Fetch this, put this on the jeep, whatever," Hauler complained.

  
  


"Not like that! That crate should be to the left more. Otherwise it'll all topple over the moment we hit a bump."

  
  


"You want it done right, you go right ahead."

  
  


Scrap Iron listened briefly to the bickering and sighed. It was going to be a long day.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Destro and the Baroness sat at the small table in Destro's room eating pancakes. They hadn't really cared much about either expedition and had decided to take a more leisurely approach to the day. So it was with some annoyance that they heard a knock on the door. The Baroness mumbled something about it likely being Cobra Commander, there to ruin their day. Instead, his mask once more firmly in place, Destro found Zarana waiting with a private message. The Baroness ran her hand along Destro's arm and chuckled. "Should I be nervous about women coming to your quarters, wanting to see you in private?" She licked her lips seductively and left.

  
  


As the door closed Destro snapped his head to face Zarana, her eyes downcast. This was highly unusual and he knew at once that this would more than make up for the cold pancakes he'd have to eat later. Zarana the strong, the forceful, the woman who got what she wanted, most of the time. And here she was, in a submissive posture and clearly fighting something inside her. Yes, the pancakes could get as cold as they pleased, this would indeed be interesting.

  
  


He gestured expansively to the living room area of his apartment and offered her a drink, which she accepted. A rum and Pepsi, to calm her nerves. As Destro sat down, looking almost comical with a straw leading from his piping hot mug of coffee into his mouth, Zarana began to explain the situation.

  
  


She didn't hold anything back, she told Destro of her first encounter with Mainframe, how they had fallen in love, her visits to him in his prison cell, in numerous disguises, Cobra Commander's plan and Zartan's request. When she finished she stared imploringly into his eyes. "Please, Destro, help me save him."

  
  


Destro pondered for a long moment. This was indeed news. It showed some insight into the workings of Zartan's mind, and provided him with a possible weapon. "You were wise to turn to me for help. Cobra Commander would not have been receptive and the Baroness, I'm afraid, would have scorned you for loving an enemy. But I too have known love, with a hated foe, no less. I know how torn you must feel right now, and I can do nothing at the moment but confirm everything you already know. Cobra Commander indeed plans to encase our prisoners, including Mainframe, in solid gold. It was one of my own ideas, despite what he might claim. However, if your friend were a member of Cobra or a possible one, we would indeed spare him. If there's even a remote chance of gaining someone of his computer skills, we would have to spare him."

  
  


Zarana's eyes lit up at the words. But Destro continued. "But know this. Mainframe is like any other Joe. He will want his friends to be freed as well as himself, no matter what you offer him. And all of our reports indicate that he is loyal to G. I. Joe. He might even try and recruit you with offers of money and freedom. I will arrange for you to speak with him, in a guest suite no less, and you may make an effort. I will monitor the conversation and make a more firm assessment from there. Above all, I am a gentleman. Nothing you have said here will leave this room, nor in the guest suite, without your permission. And should you decide to utilize your feminine wiles... I will turn away."

  
  


Zarana flushed, though she had no intentions of using her 'feminine wiles,' the implication that she might have to resort to it frightened her. She thanked Destro and went to await Mainframe's arrival.

  
  


* * *

  
  


A quick assessment of the battle indicated that Cobra was actually winning the fight. Roadblock's strike team was beating a hasty retreat, and Gung Ho's unit was caught in the middle of a pincer movement. The only problem was G. I. Joe's air support, led by Duke. They were managing to hit all the right targets, taking out tanks and planes with reckless abandon. Major Bludd's tank hadn't been hit yet, nor had Cover Girl's, but a few shots had come close. "We're almost at the temple. Nightowl, get ready to make a break for the entrance. We have to at least make this look convincing," Major Bludd shouted down. She nodded and handed the controls over to a subordinate.

  
  


* * *

  
  


"Yo, Mainframe, seems the brass wants to talk to you," a Cobra officer said, rapping her gun on the bars of the cell. She opened the door and gestured to an aide. "Go help him up. We're supposed to take good care of him."

  
  


"Sure thing, Melissa. One prisoner on his way," the soldier replied, giving the manacled Barbecue a good whack to the side of the head as he passed him. He put an arm around Mainframe's waist and, allowing himself to be used as a leaning post, led the way out of the cell and towards the guest rooms.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Buzzer whooped loudly as yet another control chip landed in the murky water. "Hope those things are water proof," he cheered.

  
  


"They are. That's why half the chips I've been throwing have landed in the water," Zartan replied, ducking his swamp sled into a cave as a pleasure boat drove by. He nodded to the others and slipped on his disguise, thus turning the three Dreadnoks into mere tourists.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Firefly casually dropped his chip down at the prescribed location and returned to the rear of the boat. Storm Shadow approached and leaned as close as he could without arousing Airtight's suspicion and said, just barely audible, "I know your secret."

  
  


* * *

  
  


Zarana placed her hands firmly in her lap to keep them from fidgeting. Why was she acting like this? This wasn't normal for her. It didn't make any kind of rational sense. The room itself was pretty plain. A double bed, a couch, two chairs, a writing desk, and a television set. She sat on the couch, nervously glancing at the clock on the wall. She'd been there for exactly twenty minutes. What if Destro had been lying? What if he couldn't get Mainframe out, worse, what if Mainframe were already dead? A knock on the door informed her that her visitor was there. She helped him over to the couch and propped him up at one end of it. Once the guards had left she moved closer and lightly touched his hand.

  
  


"It's been too long, mate," Zarana said.

  
  


"Every moment without you feels like an eternity," Mainframe said, still clearly somewhat high from the medication he'd been receiving.

  
  


"Mainframe," she paused to correct herself, "Blaine. There's something important I need to talk to you about. I want you to join me, in the Dreadnoks. Now before you say anything, I want you to hear me out. It's the only way I can keep you alive. Cobra Commander plans to kill you within the week unless I can convince you to join us. Please, for me, let me rescue you."

  
  


"Why are you doing this? What about the others?" Mainframe asked, his head shaking somewhat as he fought the medication.

  
  


"Because I love you," she paused, a long pause that indicated only too well what the plans for his team mates was. "I'm sorry, but I can't convince them to join Cobra, it wouldn't work. But you... It's either you survive, or all the Joes die. There's no other option. I wish there was."

  
  


"There is. Rescue me, take me back to Joe Headquarters with the others, join G. I. Joe," he pleaded, taking her hands in his.

  
  


"I can't. My brother's here, remember? Both of them. My family comes first, then my heart. I love you, truly I do, but Cobra's where I belong."

  
  


"And G. I. Joe is where I belong, but I also belong beside you. I... I don't know Zarana, I..." he began.

  
  


"Morgana. Call me by my real name. You deserve to know that much, at least," Zarana replied, revealing the name that not even Cobra's records had.

  
  


"Give me time to think. Please. I can't think straight. Too many emotions and thoughts swirling around like pixies around a bonfire. That made no sense, but then none of this does either. Time, please."

  
  


She leaned forward and gave him a long and sensual kiss, broken with the greatest reluctance, and she called for the guards. They opened the door immediately. "We just got new orders, from Destro himself. We're to keep the prisoner here for a few days," Melissa said simply.

  
  


"Take care of him. Tend to his needs," Zarana said, turning back to the room. "You'll be staying here, they say. I'll be back in three days. It's all I can offer you."

  
  


* * *

  
  


Zandar tossed the last of the little microchips into the surf and moved to the rendezvous point to meet up with Firefly's group. When they got there, they found the cruise ship they'd arrived on waiting for them, but no sign of the other team. Buzzer, naturally perhaps, was the one to remark on it. "Blimey, I think we won!" Though, the other team wasn't long in arriving themselves. Scrap Iron's group would wait in position until they received the signal from Cobra Commander.

  
  


"Well, well, well. Look who finally decided to show up," Buzzer snickered, receiving a shove from Firefly, a hostile glare from Storm Shadow and a sneer from Airtight. "Here now, nobody attacks a Dreadnok and gets away with it, isn't that right, Zartan?"

  
  


"Feel free to stand up for your rights," Zartan replied, interested to see how Buzzer fared without his companions.

  
  


Buzzer didn't need much prompting and tackled Firefly to the ground. The latter twisted mid-fall so that his knees were up slightly, allowing him to kick the Dreadnok off of him. He got up using an elaborate flip and watched as Buzzer tensed and pounced once more. Firefly, this time, sidestepped the lunge and gave a roundhouse kick to the lower back of Buzzer and quickly placed a knife at his throat. "If you ever pull a stunt like that again, you're dead," he hissed.

  
  


"You cheated!" Buzzer crowed, stumbling free from Firefly. "That bloody bastard cheated!" Buzzer pointed wildly at him.

  
  


"No rules were stated for the combat, Firefly acted properly," Storm Shadow replied.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Cobra Commander sat in his favourite chair and polished his silver mask. His secretary looked up and reported that there was a priority one call from Major Bludd.

  
  


"Put it on the main viewer," he said, putting the mask back on. Soon Bludd's face appeared, as he stood in front of the Incan temple, his people rejoicing in the background. Nightowl and Cover Girl stood on either side of him.

  
  


"We seem to have hit a bit of a snag, Commander. We accidentally won."


End file.
